“Once the decision to upgrade our simulation software had been made, it quickly became apparent that by implementing Dassault Systèmes’ CATIA V5 and selecting DELMIA V5, we would have an integrated virtual design and manufacturing environment,” said David Balcombe, general manager for Vehicle Systems at Lotus. “In the future, it will be easy to expand to a complete product lifecycle management (PLM) solution.”

CATIA and DELMIA V5 Solutions share Dassault Systèmes’ Product, Process and Resource (PPR) data model. This connection between the Engineering and Manufacturing Hubs will enable engineers to work concurrently and foster the continuous creation and validation of manufacturing processes throughout the product lifecycle. In addition, the integration of all facets of the manufacturing engineering process will allow them to reuse best industrial practices and help Lotus to build on their successes from previous programs such as the GM global 2.2 liter engine, and vehicles like the Vauxhall VX220 and the smaller Proton family. <br/>

“We will deploy the Dassault Systèmes software in both the engineering consultancy side of our business as well as in the design and manufacture of our own vehicles,” said David Jenkinson, Materials and Process group manager at Lotus. “We plan to immediately use this new integrated CAD/CAM and advanced simulation environment on two of our highly confidential projects and we expect immediate benefits from concurrent engineering, improved assembly and a shortened design cycle.”